County Council panel advises funding for park projects

Easton, Bethlehem, Wilson proposals among those addressed.

Northampton County Council's Open Space Committee on Wednesday put its stamp of approval on funding five municipal park projects previously recommended by the county's Open Space Advisory Board.

The two largest allocations -- $559,209 toward property acquisition in Easton's planned Bushkill Creek Corridor from 13th Street east to the Delaware River, and nearly $1.1 million toward buying former rail land for Bethlehem's greenway project on that city's South Side -- were already anticipated in this year's budget. A $174,200 request to help Wilson develop 10-acre Fisk Field along Wood Avenue near Route 22 also was anticipated this year, but will likely not be paid out until next year, officials said.

The advisory board recommended the Wilson project in late 2006, while the Bethlehem and Easton projects were recommended in June. The recommendations of the Open Space Committee will now go to the full council.

In addition, the committee recommended $34,271 for Tatamy for Braden and Metz parks, and $140,634 for Upper Mount Bethel Township toward development of its municipal park on 90 acres donated by Reliant Energy.

In some cases, the county grant is reimbursement for money a community has already spent on a project.

The five requests totaled about $2 million of the $4 million made available for municipal parks as part of the voter-approved county open space initiative. County officials said they continue to urge communities to seek funding, which is capped according to a population-based formula.

Bethlehem's greenway project involves buying about 27 acres of Norfolk Southern rail right of way for the trail that will run from Union Station near the Hill-to-Hill Bridge, east to the stone arch bridge near Route 412. Darlene Heller, Bethlehem's director of planning and zoning, said the city has agreed to buy greenway land for $2.5 million. Bethlehem is negotiating for someone else to buy 10 additional industrially zoned acres involved in the deal. The money from that sale would help to buy the land destined for the greenway, Heller said, adding settlement was set for late December.

Heller told committee members she couldn't identify the potential buyer for the additional land because negotiations aren't complete.

"We're spending public money. I think we need to know, and the public needs to know, who that person is," said Councilman John Cusick.

"I can't give you more information because it hasn't been finalized yet," Heller said, adding Bethlehem was fully committed to the project.

David McGuire of the Lehigh Valley Sierra Club questioned parts of the greenway proposal and asked whether county money was being used to leverage the sale of the extra 10 acres to private parties. Heller said the county money was only being used for the greenway portion of the project. Bethlehem resident Al Wurth urged the city to allow for the potential return of passenger rail service along the greenway.